How often do you clean your guns?

Adam Striegel · Apr 12, 2012

I shot a lot when I was a kid, but the guns were my dads so he always took care of them. Recently I started getting back into shooting and purchasing my own firearms and wondering how often cleaning is recommended? I've pretty much been cleaning them after everytime I shoot. I actually get a lot of enjoyment out of breaking them down and cleaning them as it's very relaxing.

Over kill?

Wall · Apr 12, 2012

Not overkill, but not necessarry either.
If you enjoy it & have the time, do it.
I do not.

dennishoddy · Apr 12, 2012

When I was a kid and had my first shotgun, my dad made sure it was spotless after every shooting session. Later in the Army, it was drilled into you, that your weapon must be perfectly clean.
I guess I wasn't a very good learner. I'm the worst in the world about cleaning them now.
Before a match, or going on a major hunt, is about the only time they get a good cleaning.

Wormydog1724 · Apr 12, 2012

Wall said:
Not overkill, but not necessarry either.
If you enjoy it & have the time, do it.
I do not.

True. True.

I usually wait until I have a malfunction. Not recommended!

Burk Cornelius · Apr 12, 2012

I was just thinking about this exact topic on my commute this morning (my quiet time). I always clean mine every time I shoot them. Sometimes not immediately, but I still do.

My question was, does anyone periodically clean their carry gun even if you haven't shot it? Just to clean out the lint and dust from everyday carry.

poopgiggle · Apr 12, 2012

It goes something like this:

Revolvers: never
Tactical Tupperware: when I'm bored and don't have anything else to do
1911: after every range trip

I suppose I should clean my carry revolver in the next few months but eh.

nikatkimber · Apr 12, 2012

Burk Cornelius said:
I was just thinking about this exact topic on my commute this morning (my quiet time). I always clean mine every time I shoot them. Sometimes not immediately, but I still do. :wink:

My question was, does anyone periodically clean their carry gun even if you haven't shot it? Just to clean out the lint and dust from everyday carry.

I shoot my Glock often enough that I don't clean it just to clean it, even though I carry it regularly. My Keltec I clean every couple months regardles of how much I've shot it... if at all.

poopgiggle said:
It goes something like this:

Revolvers: never
Tactical Tupperware: when I'm bored and don't have anything else to do
1911: after every range trip

I suppose I should clean my carry revolver in the next few months but eh.

I clean my revolvers more often than my autos (1911 excepted). Not tear down to pins and springs clean, but scrub the chambers and bore. But I shoot soft lead cast boolits, and they will lead bad if I let it go too far.

I try to do a field strip, wipe down, and re-lube within 24 hours after a range trip.

jtischauser · Apr 12, 2012

It depends how much and what your shooting at. Of its something critical like a match or even moreso self defense then clean everything you shoot. If its just range time I go 300-1000 rounds before cleanings. I almost always add more oil before I shoot to minimize wear and increase reliability.

Jeremy Moore · Apr 12, 2012

Depends on which gun it is. If it's one of my SV's- I pretty much clean them after every 3 gun match or every couple of uspsa matches. My rifle-every few thousand rounds, shotgun-every 5-600 rounds. When I shot my M&P-I cleaned it every match with bullets and N320 powder :lol:
Depends on the gun and conditions it's being used in

Jackary · Apr 12, 2012

I usually clean mine after every range trip depending if I have time or how much I shot

benjamin-benjamin · Apr 12, 2012

depends on what you mean by "cleaning", i have started trying to just run a bore snake through the barrel more often, but not a full field strip..

aeropb · Apr 12, 2012

Only when I have absolutely nothing else to do, I'm tired of poking around, bored of the internet, and while watching TV.

benjamin-benjamin · Apr 12, 2012

aeropb said:
Only when I have absolutely nothing else to do, I'm tired of poking around, bored of the internet, and while watching TV.

so you have never cleaned your guns before

OlSlyGuy · Apr 12, 2012

Burk Cornelius said:
My question was, does anyone periodically clean their carry gun even if you haven't shot it? Just to clean out the lint and dust from everyday carry.

i pull my carry gun out every couple of weeks just to see if it needs a shot of gun oil. after a couple of weeks of handling it and rubbing against my body (hear come the jokes) i just want to try knock any potential corrosives off of it. i've always heard that the natural oils from your body arent great for guns. maybe thats just an old wives tale...

as for my other guns, i've always felt like too much cleaning was doing more damage to the finish and the bore than not enough cleaning. if i've done some light plinking i prob wont clean them. after a heavy range day i probaly will.

Jeff T. · Apr 12, 2012

Pistols, rifles, shotguns, If I shoot them, I Clean Them, Next day if it is too late when I get home.
For Hunting Rifles and Shotguns, If I carry it into the field, even on days we don't see any game, and they are not fired, I wipe them down and make sure they are oiled.
CCW, it gets checked daily, cleaned, wiped and oiled as needed.

dennishoddy · Apr 12, 2012

I wipe everything down with a cloth saturated in silicone spray before putting it up, but thats usally it.

aestus · Apr 12, 2012

For my carry gun, I clean after every shoot. If I go a month or so without shooting, I'll field strip it down and blow out any lint build up inside and lightly relube it.

My AR's are my babies, so I clean them after every shoot, as well. However, I'm about to run an experiment on my LOKI and going to run it lube only without ever cleaning it until it fails. Maybe a bore snake if accuracy starts to suffer. This really hard for me because I'm OCD when it comes to keeping my guns cleaned.

My Benelli Supernova gets cleaned maybe once or twice a year, regardless if it's shot or not. I'm a little lax on shotguns. I do shoot a lot of lead slugs through it though, so seeing streaks of lead build up in the chrome lined barrels drives me crazy....

I tried running my AK without ever cleaning it, until one day I picked it up and it was like touching a dirty engine block still gooey with oil. Now it stays clean along with my AR's.

Burk Cornelius · Apr 12, 2012

Actually I should revise my comment: My Glock, never.

Swifty · Apr 12, 2012

I clean mine right after a match or range practice. Especially my STI...... That's just the way i roll.

Iggie · Apr 13, 2012

Carry gun if its not been shot I will clean it every 60-90 days just to remove the gunk. Last thing I want is my gun to fail when I need it because of butt juice and lint.

Otherwise within 24 hours of shooting it. Except the shotgun. It needs 50+ rounds to get a cleaning.